Ariani was finishing up her shift in the Maintenance Bay, helping with the preparations for the Fxescythe Zeta. She exhales deeply as she changes out of her maintenance uniform.
Those blueprints were so detailed... I wonder how Commander Blues did it? she thinks to herself as she slips her top on. I think there might be a few improvements that could be made to it... I'll go talk to Fxeni about it!
When she's finished changing, she heads out into the corridor. She stops by Fxeni's quarters and peeks inside, knocking on the side of the doorway. Seeing that the room is empty, she walks down the hallway pensively. As she passes by the Security Room, she hears a voice she recognizes.
"There we go... That should keep any unwanted elements out of your systems, ADA," Fxeni says as he steps away from the console, "No wonder someone got through, though... it hasn't been upgraded in a long time."
"Thank you, Fxeni," ADA replies.
"Ah, there you are!" Ariani says as she walks into the room with a excited wave and smile.
"A-Ariani! Wasn't expecting you to pass by!" Fxeni said with a startle. "What can I do for you?"
"Well... since I'm working on your new Mobile Suit, I took the liberty to take a look at the blueprints. They're pretty amazing, but I think there's a few tweaks here and there that would improve its performance a bit..." Ariani said as she brought up the blueprints of the Fxescythe Zeta on her tablet. "If we make the changes to the Movable Frame in these spots, it would increase its' durability and response time."
"Hmm... interesting. Weight distribution remains intact... materials are durable enough to withstand the nature of the parts," Fxeni states as he glances through the notes she's made. "Looks good to me. Did you give these to the Chief Engineer?"
"Not yet... I umm... I figured I'd pass them by you first," Ariani said shyly as she swayed slightly from side to side, looking down at the ground.
"You should, these changes look good to me," Fxeni says with a smile.
"Really?! I mean umm... yes sir!" Ariani replies as she regains her composure, a smile gracing her face.
"Warning! Fxeni sir, please look at the monitor!" ADA states as the monitor screen turns on. Fxeni and Ariani both take a look at the monitor. Fxeni's eyes narrowed at the sight, while Ariani gasped.
"Isn't that..." Ariani starts to say, one of her hands covering her mouth.
"Yes... it is... rather, was... my mansion," Fxeni said with a slight growl in his tone. "ADA, zoom in on quadrant E8."
The quadrant stated by Fxeni was zoomed in on, revealing two figures standing neaby. One he didn't recognize, but the other was very familiar.
It can't be... Fxeni thought as he examined it closer, his eyes widening. Even though it was from a good distance, he could tell who it was. I killed that General... or at least I thought I did. The bastard survived.
"Is everything alright...?" Ariani asked, worried about Fxeni.
"Yeah... I just won't be able to show you my base now, I'm sad to say!" Fxeni joked, deciding that worrying anyone at this point wouldn't change anything. "I guess you'll have to just help me out one my new one!"
"Wha... you mean the battleship?" Ariani asked, a bit of a surprise in her voice.
"That's exactly what I mean! You've demonstrated your ability with that," Fxeni said as he pointed at her tablet. "You'll be perfect for the job."
"T-Thank you!" Ariani exclaimed excitedly.
"I'll treat you to lunch! Go ahead and head to the caf, I'll join you there," Fxeni said with a smile.
"Sure! See you there!" Ariani said as she rushed out of the room, all giddy. Fxeni watched her as she left, and the door shut behind her. His smile faded, and he looked back at the screen.
"ADA... contact Peebs. Request that we have robot scouts examine the remains of my mansion while keeping out of sight," Fxeni ordered.
"Affirmative," ADA responded as Fxeni left the room.
If it's him... he's trying to lure me out. I'm in no shape to deal with him as I am now, so he'll have to wait, Fxeni thought as he walked down the hallway towards the cafeteria. I'm not giving him the satisfaction.